Jason Hayes of the American Coal Council calls the move a "big PR stunt" since Stanford students still use products that are produced with coal, such as steel. Hayes says other investors will buy the coal stocks that Stanford sells.

...but I can't imagine ACC isn't concerned at least a bit.... After all, divestment worked in the case of South Africa and apartheid...to the extent that anything did.... In college I mostly kept my head down in my math and physics books, but I remember lots of protests about that, especially disinviting the South African rugby team from playing in the U.S.

Update: A faculty group at Oregon State University is also callingfor divestment.